Retired general, ex-CIA chief David Petraeus to receive no further punishment

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton
Carter has decided not to impose further punishment on David
Petraeus, a former U.S. military commander and CIA director who
admitted sharing classified information with his mistress,
according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The short letter was sent by Stephen Hedger, the assistant
secretary of defense for legislative affairs, and the decision
is in line with an Army review.

Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA in 2012 after it was
revealed that he was having an affair with his biographer, Army
Reserve officer Paula Broadwell. When he pleaded guilty to
mishandling classified information, a court document signed by
Petraeus and prosecutors said that in 2011, Petraeus illegally
gave Broadwell access to official binders.

In April, the retired four-star general was sentenced to two
years of probation and fined $100,000 but was spared prison time
after pleading guilty to mishandling classified information.

The Pentagon could have sought to further reprimand Petraeus
under military law.

Hedger's letter was addressed to Senate Armed Service
Committee Chairman Senator John McCain and Senator Jack Reed,
who had recently asked Carter not to take further action.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the letter.

Petraeus, a counter-insurgency expert with a Princeton
University doctorate, served as the top U.S. commander in the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was once considered a possible
vice presidential or presidential candidate.

Known as "black books," the binders that Petraeus shared
with Broadwell contained classified information including
identities of covert officers, code word information, war
strategy, intelligence capabilities, diplomatic talks and
information from high-level White House National Security
Council meetings, according to court records.

Petraeus now serves as chairman of the private equity firm
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts' captive economic and geopolitical think
tank, the KKR Global Institute, according to its website.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Bernard
Orr and Bill Trott)